136 GEOEGE JOHN EOMANES 1881- 



cannot look forward any more to his dear voice of 

 welcome, or to the letters that were my greatest hap- 

 piness. For now there is no one to venerate, no one 

 to work for, or to think about while working. I 

 always knew that I was leaning on these feelings too 

 much, but I could not try to prevent them, and so at 

 last I am left with a loneliness that never can be 

 filled. And when I think how grand and generous 

 his kindness was to me, grief is no word for my loss. 



But I know that your grief is greater than mine, 

 and that, like him, I should try to think of others 

 before myself. And I do feel for you all very much 

 indeed. But although I cannot endure to picture 

 your house or your household as the scene of such a 

 death, I can derive some consolation from the thought 

 that he died as few men in the history of the world 

 have died — knowing that he had finished a gigantic 

 work, seeing how that work has transformed the 

 thoughts of mankind, and foreseeing that his name 

 must endure to the end of time among the very 

 greatest of the human race. Very, very rare is such 

 consolation as this in a house of mourning. 



I look forward to hearing more about the end 

 when we meet. I feel it is very kind of you to have 

 written to me so soon, and I hope you will convey 

 our very sincere sympathy to Mrs. Darwin and the 

 other members of your family. 



Yours ever sincerely, 



Geo. J. Eomanes. 



After ' Mr. Darwin's Life ' appeared, Mr. Eomanes 

 writes : — 



